#Amazon kindle fire hd 7 2014 edition update#
#Amazon kindle fire hd 7 2014 edition android#

The app selection is also limited, and you have to accept that Amazon collects a lot of data via its own apps.

#Amazon kindle fire hd 7 2014 edition android#

However, the most important reason against a purchase is the software, which is mainly focused on the services as well as offers from Amazon, and the handling is not always as comfortable as a standard Android tablet. The GPS module did not really work in our model and services like Firefly cannot always live up to the promises. It offers the combination of high performance, great display and good speakers that are important for media playback. Once again, the fourth generation of the Fire HX 8.9 is a good multimedia tablet and control center for the Amazon services, which are pretty comprehensive by now. Mayday can be used by Amazon employees to access the device and give you a tour through the features or help if there are any problems. The identification of physical products via camera did not work that well, the barcode scanner on the other hand was more handy, just like the music recognition via microphone. You can then buy the corresponding products or get more information. The software also works for web sites and phone numbers: The data is processed in the cloud and then compared with Amazon’s product database. The preloaded apps include all Amazon services like 'Prime Instant Video' or the wish list, but there are actually some new ideas as well: You can use 'Firefly' to identify media contents and products via camera and microphone. Similar to Android, a swipe from the top of the screen will open a list with notifications and quick settings, and at the bottom or the side, respectively (depending on the orientation), are buttons for 'Back', 'Home Screen' and 'Search'. You can also open a complete overview with the installed apps or directly access several sub-categories like music or videos, but this will launch the corresponding Amazon service. At the top is a menu bar, where you can find the integrated search, for instance, which searches the device as well as the Internet and the shop. You also get a row with apps at the bottom that are defined as favorites, but above it is an app overview that reminiscent of Apple’s cover flow, and you can go through the apps by swiping to the left or the right. This is based on Google’s Android 4.4.3, but the user interface differs quite significantly from Google’s operating system.

#Amazon kindle fire hd 7 2014 edition update#

Shortly after we turned the device on, we were notified of an update of the system software, therefore we performed the review with Fire OS 4.5.4.